In addition to creating aesthetically attractive plants, individuals who learn about the basic principles of horticulture can gain both physical and emotional benefits.

HorticultureHorticulture, translated literally means garden culture and is a part of crop agriculture that also includes agronomy and forestry. Traditionally, horticulture works with garden crops like fruits, nuts, vegetables, culinary herbs and spices, beverage crops, and medicinals, as well as ornamental plants.

Horticulture ArtsHorticulture is associate with many intensive practices that collectively make up the horticultural arts. These include various propagation techniques that incorporate special plant structures such as bulbs, corms, or runners, the use of layers or cuttings, budding and grafting, and micropropagation involving tissue culture. Horticulture arts has been a cultural practice for many native peoples for centuries. Cultural practices include soil preparation, direct planting or transplanting, fertilization, weed, disease, and pest control, training and pruning, various harvest and handling methods, and various post-harvest natural treatments to extend shelf life. While horticulture is an ancient art with many traditional practices, present-day horticulture relies more intimately on science. Horticultural science is one of the most advanced parts of agriculture today. This kind of science could go either way: taking the organic route, or taking the chemical route. Recently some horticultural growers have attempted to eliminate reliance on inorganic fertilizers and pesticides through the incorporation of ecologically based practices like integrated crop management.

Horticultural Food CropsHorticultural food crops include an enormous array of species that are grouped together in various ways.

Fruits of woody perennial plants have long been prized in the area of horticulture. They are a great source of refreshment, have delightful flavors and aromas, and are wonderful, nourishing foods. Fruit crops can be defined as temperate, subtropical, and tropical deciduous. Temperate fruits normally undergo dormancy during low temperatures, before resuming growth in spring. Tropical fruits are usually evergreen and are extremely cold-sensitive. Fruit crops are usually grouped by taxonomic affinity. Temperate fruits include the pome fruits (apple, quince, medlar), stone fruits (apricot, cherry, peach and its smooth-skin variant the nectarine, and plum), vine fruits (grape and kiwifruit), and small bush fruits (strawberry, blueberry, cranberry, and lingonberry, blackberry, raspberry, and hybrids such as currants and gooseberries). Subtropical fruits include citrus (citron, grapefruit, the tropical pomelo, sweet orange, lemon, lime, mandarins, and various hybrids like tangor or tangelo), and fruits associated with Mediterranean climates (avocado, cactus pear, carob, fig, loquat, persimmon, pomegranate). There are hundreds of tropical fruits that range from the popular banana, mango, and pineapple, to the most regionally known akee, carambola, durian, guava, and soursop.

Nuts. The important tree nuts that are popularly used include cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, and walnuts.

Beverage crops include the subtropical crops like coffee, tea, and mate.

Vegetables are typically herbaceous plants. With vegetables, various parts of the plant can be used as food, including roots, tubers, leaves, fruit or seed.

Taking a plant or grouped of plants from infancy and growing them into unique shapes and sized can and has become a hobby for thousands of people who enjoy the learning experience, nutrition, and beauty they work to create year round.

Individuals who become involved in horticulture gain numerous insights into understanding plant life cycles, pruning, transplanting, fertilizing, and learning what can cause seasonal fluctuations in plant growth.

The use of horticulture in therapy has begun to gain professional status as people begin to understand its numerous benefits.

According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association, horticulture is defined as “a process utilizing plants and horticultural activities to improve social, educational, psychological, and physical adjustment of persons thus improving their body, mind, and spirit.”

Ariana Marisolis a contributing staff writer for REALfarmacy.com. She is an avid nature enthusiast, gardener, photographer, writer, hiker, dreamer, and lover of all things sustainable, wild, and free. Ariana strives to bring people closer to their true source, Mother Nature. She is currently finishing her last year at The Evergreen State College getting her undergraduate degree in Sustainable Design and Environmental Science. Follow her adventures on Instagram.